According to reports filed with the Texas Ethics Commission by lobbyists required to register in the state of Texas, as much as $376.6 million was spent to influence state policymakers in 2017. Given the state of Texas spent about $116 billion in 2017, spending $376.6 million to have a say in how those billions are spent can be seen as a wise investment, the equivalent of spending $3 to try to shape $1,000 of spending.
Taxes & Spending
Assessing Tax Trends in the City of Austin
Does history suggest that property taxes are too high in the city of Austin? And, if so, have local decision-makers actively helped or hurt the situation? To help answer these questions, let’s review the city’s 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) and gather four types of data—i.e., tax levies, local population, total tax rates, and taxable values—over a 10-year time horizon. Using these audited estimates, we can gauge the growth of government (i.e., tax levy trends), assess its reasonability...
February 19, 2026